Meath County Council Library Service offers a ‘Laptops for Loan’ scheme, which is generously funded by Facebook.

The initiative aims to address the digital divide compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic which has caused disproportionate hardship on those who are disadvantaged, socially excluded or marginalised.

In Phase 1 of the initiative we loaned 732 laptops to Post-Primary schools who in turn loaned them to the students most in need.  Already in Phase 2, we have loaned a further 170 laptops to organisations such as LMETB, Trim Family Resource Centre, Foróíge Navan and the National Learning Network.

Criteria

• The scheme is intended for organisations/groups working with Marginalised, Socially Excluded and Disadvantaged Communities
• Meath County Council Library Service will provide the logistical support, purchasing the laptops and delivering them directly to the organisation
• Laptops will be loaned for up to one year, and the loan can be renewed if required
• Initial installation/set-up is done by the organisation/group
• The organisation/group covers the cost of insurance
• The organisation/group distributes the laptops according to need.
• The organisation must set up a tracking system for the laptop loans using the serial number and the library barcodes provided.
• On return, the hard drives must be securely wiped and reset to factory settings

For more details about the initiative please contact Maedhbh Rogan McGann at mrogan@meathcoco.ie or laps4loan@meathcoco.ie